Bridge Inspection and LiDAR derived Geotechnical Assessment of Abutments

Close visual inspection of bridge and LiDAR survey for geotechnical assessment of abutments

PROJECT OVERVIEW

A bridge carries a large diameter pipeline transferring raw water from Warragamba to Prospect reservoir and throughout the Sydney Water distribution network. The critical importance of the asset to Sydney’s well being requires that close monitoring of the bridge’s condition is regularly carried out by a thorough bridge inspection.

Previously, engineers utilised a combination of rope access and high-zoom camera equipment to inspect and assess the condition of the reinforced concrete structure. The result was a costly inspection regime with subjective and incomplete data sets.

Project Scope
Drone-LiDAR
Drone-LiDAR
Close Visual Inspection
Close Visual Inspection
Geotechnical Assessment
Geotechnical Assessment
Close visual drone inspection of bridge
Visual inspection drone equipped with top mounted camera and zoom lens allows millimeter detail of defects while maintaining a safe operating distance from the structure.
DIODRONE SOLUTION

Utilising an inspection specific drone, equipped with a high resolution camera and telephoto zoom lens, a dual operator field crew carried out close visual inspection across all surfaces of the bridge structure.

Diodrone’s solution improved access, reduced costs and uncertainty across multiple aspects of the condition assessment.

Throughout the course of a single day onsite, imagery was captured in a systematic manner and referenced to a structure specific naming system allowing for rapid location.

Additionally, Diodrone captured imagery and LiDAR data for a geotechnical assessment of the abutments—allowing for improved identification of hazards and accurate monitoring of changes into the future.

The LiDAR survey developed a detailed point cloud of the bridge and abutments, even beneath vegetation cover—allowing for geotechnical assessment of the abutment condition and 3D cataloguing of the bridge asset.